CHAPTER 6

GLOBALISATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE

1. Globalisation

60
 It refers to the growing interdependence between different peoples,
regions and countries in the world.
The effect of globalisation is far reaching. It affects us all but affects us

E3
differently. Thus, while for some it may mean new opportunities, for others the
loss of livelihood.
For eg. Women silk spinners and twisters of Bihar lost their jobs once
the Chinese and Korean silk yarn entered the market.

1.
ID
2. Global Interconnections not new to world and to India
Since the early years, India has never been isolated from the
U
world. For eg: Silk route, which centuries ago connected India to
the great civilisations, which existed in China, Persia, Egypt and
Rome.
YG

2. Colonial Period
 Greatest movement of people was navigation of people.
 Labourers were taken away in ships to distant parts of the
D

world.
 Slave trade
U

3. Independent India and the World

Independent India retained a global outlook, even after
ST

Independence For instance migration, export and import of raw

material, goods and technology was very much part of
development since independence. Foreign firms did operate in
India.
3. Dimensions of Globalisation

87 Class XII - Sociology

 DIMENSIONS OF GLOBALISATION

Globalisation &
Globalisation Political changes
& Labour

60
Globalisation &
Employment

E3
Globalisation &
Culture

ID Glocalisation
Culture of
consumption
U
YG
D

 Indentured labour work under a restrictive contract of employment

U

for a fixed period in a foreign country in exchange for payment of

passage, accommodation, and food.
ST

 Indentured labour was widely used as a source of workers from

India for employment on sugar plantations in the Caribean from
1839, following the abolition of slavery.
4. The Economic Policy of Liberalisation
 The state after independence put in place a large number of
laws that ensured that, the Indian market and Indian indigenous,
business were protected from competition of the wider world.

Class XII - Sociology 88

  Liberalisation of the economy meant the steady removal of the
rules that regulated Indian trade and finance regulations.
 Since 1991, the Indian economy witnessed a series of reforms in
all major sectors of the economy (agriculture, industry, trade, foreign
investment and technology, public sector, financial institutions etc.
As greater integration into the global market would be beneficial
to Indian economy.

60
 The process of liberalisation also involved taking loans from
International and Monetary fund (IMF).
5. Transnational Corporation

E3
 TNCs are companies that produce goods or market services in
more than one country. For e.g: Coca Cola, General Motors,
Colgate-Palmolive, Kodak and Mitsubishi.
6. Electronic Economy
 ID
Banks, corporations, fund managers and individual investors are
able to shift funds internationally with the click of a mouse.
U
7. Weightless Economy or Knowledge Economy
YG

 In weightless economy products have their base in information,

not in the physical production or distribution of material goods
as in the case with software, media and entertainment products
and internet based services but in their design, marketing, sale
and services. For e.g., event managers.
D

Globalization of Finance
 Due to the information technology revolution, a globalisation of
U

finance, takes place. Globally integrated financial markets

undertake billions of dollars worth transactions within seconds
ST

in the electronic circuits. There is a 24-hour trading in capital

and security markets.
8. Global Communications
 Important advances in technology and the world's
telecommunications infrastructure has led to revolutionary
changes in global communication. We now have multiple links
to the outside world, including telephones (land lines and

89 Class XII - Sociology

 mobiles), fax machines, digital and cable television, electronic mail
and the internet.
 Digital Divide : It exists in situations where some homes and many
offices have multiple links with the outside world but some may not
have.
9. Globalisation and Labour : Globalisation and A New International

60
Division of Labour.
 In new international division of labour more and more routine
manufacturing production and employment is done in the Third
World cities — outsourcing.

E3
 Nike shoes founder Phil Knight imported shoes from Japan and
sold them at athletics meetings.
 The company grew to a multinational enterprise, a transnational


corporation,
ID
As costs increased, production shifted to Thailand and Indonesia
then to India.
U
 Instead of mass production of goods at a centralised location
(Fordism), we have moved to a system of flexible production at
YG

dispersed locations (post-Fordism).

 Fordism : Refers to a system of production made popular by the
American industrialist Henry Ford in the early part of 20th century.
He popularised the assembly line method of mass production in
D

a centralised location.
 Post Fordism : Refers to a system of flexible production of goods
U

at dispersed locations.
10. Globalisation and Employment
ST

 There is uneven impact of globalisation on employment. For the

middle class youth from urban centres, globalisation and the IT
revolution has opened up new career opportunities.
11. Globalisation and Political Changes
 Political developments that accompanied globalisation were :
 The collapse of the erstwhile socialist world hastened
globalisation.

Class XII - Sociology 90

  the growth of International and regional mechanisms for
political collaboration.
Eg: The European Union (EU), the Association of South East
Asian Nations (ASEAN), South Asian Regional Conference
(SARC) and South Asian Federation of Trade Association
(SAFTA).

60
 The rise of International Government Organisations. (IGOs)
and International Non-Governmental Organisations
(INGO's).
INGOs differ from intergovernmental organisations in that

E3

they are not affiliated with government institutions, they are
independent organisations, which make policy decisions and
address international issues. Some of the best known INGOs
are Greenpeace, The Red Cross and Amnesty

Borders). ID
International, Medecins Sans Frontiers (Doctors without

12. Globalisation of Culture

U
 Globalisation of culture refers to the mixing of the global culture
with the local culture.
YG

 Glocalisation of Culture : Glocalisation refers to the mixing of

the global with the local.
 It is a strategy often adopted by foreign firms while dealing with
local traditions in order to enhance their marketability.
D

 In India, all the foreign television channels like Star, MTV,

Channels V and Cartoon Network use Indian languages. Even
U

McDonald sells only vegetarian and chicken products in India

and not its beef products, which are popular abroad. McDonald's
ST

goes vegetarian during the Navaratri festival.

13. Gender and Culture
 Fixed traditional idea of cultural identity defends undemocratic
and discriminating practices against women in the name of
cultural identity.
 These could range from a defence of sati to defence of women's
exclusion from education and participation in public matters.

91 Class XII - Sociology

 14. A. Culture of Consumption
 Cultural consumption (of art, food, fashion, music, tourism) shapes
to a large extent the growth of cities.
 This is evident in the spurt of growth of shopping malls, multiplex
cinema halls, amusement park and 'water world' in every major
city in India.

60
 Advertisements and media also promotes culture where spending
is important.
B. Corporate Culture

E3
 Corporate culture is a branch of management theory that seeks
to increase productivity and competitiveness through the creation
of a unique organisational culture involving all members of a
firm.

ID
15. Threat to Many Indigenous Craft and Literary Traditions and
Knowledge Systems
U
 Modern development even prior to the stage of globalisation did
make inroads into traditional cultural forms and occupations
based on them.
YG

 unable to compete with power looms, traditional craft of weaving

are dying out.
 (1) For instance about 30 theater groups, which were active
around the textile mills area of Parel and Girgaum of Mumbai
D

city, have become defunct, as most of the mill workers are out of
jobs in these areas.
U

 (2) Some years back, there were large number of suicides by

the traditional weavers in Sircilla village of Karimnager district
ST

and Dubakka village in Medak district, both in Andhra Pradesh.

Protecting Indigenous Knowledge Systems
 Recent attempts by some multinational companies to patent the
use of Tulsi, Haldi, Rudraksha and Basmati rice has highlighted
the need for protecting the base of its indigenous knowledge
systems.

Class XII - Sociology 92

 1MARKS QUESTIONS
1. Centuries ago---------- route connected India to the great
civilisations, China, Egypt & Persia.
2. Indian economy witnessed a series of reforms in all the major
sectors of the economy after 1991 due to the policy of________

60
3. Companies thath produced goods or market services in more than
one country are called
a. NASDAQ b. TNCs c. BPOs d. IGOs

E3
4. A click of the mouse that enables the individual investors,
corporators and bankers to shift funds internationally is known
as__________
5. During the colonial period, when labourers were taken away in

6. ID
ships to distant parts of the World was referred to as________
Operation of foreign firms, migration, export and import of raw
materials etc helped Independent India to retain---------- outlook
U
8. Some of the new occupations have emerged in contermparary
times where the workforce is involved not in the physical production/
YG

distribution of material goods but in their design, marketing, sale

& services as a result of-------
9. With the increase of cost of production, many companies prefer to
opt for outsourcing into the third world cities instead of mass
D

production in a centralised location is called.

10. Digital divide facilitates the compression of time and space (state
U

whether true or False).

11. Identify which is not an example of INGO
ST

a. Geen peace b. Red cross c. Mitsubishi

d. Amnesty International
12. Consumption culture is a branch of management theory which
seeks to increase productivity and competitiveness through the
creation of organisational culture involving all members of a firm.
(Correct the statement)

93 Class XII - Sociology

 2 MARKS QUESTIONS
1. What is globalisation?
2. What is Liberalisation?
3. What are indentured labourers?
4. What are Transnational Corporations?

60
5. What is gloablisation of finance?
6. Differentiate between Fordism and Post Fordism.

E3
7. Name any two INGO's.
8. What is digital divide?
9. State the importance of the 'silk route'.
10.
11.
What is migration?
ID
What is Glocalisation?
U
4 MARKS QUESTIONS
1. Are Global interconnections new to India and the World? Give
YG

reasons.
2. Explain the economic policy of Liberalisation.
3. Explain culture of consumption.
D

4. Explain Homogenisation versus Glocalisation of Culture. Give

suitable examples.
U

6 MARKS QUESTIONS
ST

1. The effect of globalisation is far reaching. It affects us all but affects

us differently. Explain.
2. With the help of an example explain the impact of globalization
and the New International Division of labor.
3. Examine the political changes brought about as a result of
globalisation.

Class XII - Sociology 94